And he said the long trolley waits were a sign of a system under too much pressure.

"The government have so far failed to grasp the seriousness of the situation," Dr Porter said.

"The prime minister cannot continue to bury her head in the sand as care continues to worsen.

"The government must urgently look at the long-term funding, capacity and recruitment issues facing the system as a whole if we are to get to grips with the pressures the NHS faces year in, year out, but which are compounded during the winter months."

'Unsustainable'

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospitals, said it had already called for an urgent review of winter pressures on the health service.

"These figures have not been verified and should therefore be treated with caution, but they are in line with the feedback we have been getting from trusts.

"NHS staff have responded magnificently to increased winter pressures, but the situation has become unsustainable.

"The rise in long trolley waits is particularly worrying, as there is clear evidence they can lead to worse outcomes for patients."

Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS Improvement, said the current level of demand in England's hospitals was causing real problems.

"Such intense pressure on emergency services has had a real impact on elective services and patients are having to wait longer for non-emergency treatment and this is also adding to the financial pressures being felt by NHS providers," he said.

"Even with these pressures, the NHS continues to outperform health systems in other major nations."

NHS Health Check

A week of coverage by BBC News examining the state of the NHS across the UK as it comes under intense pressure during its busiest time of the year.